Types of Antidepressants

Information on Antidepressants

Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors

These antidepressants are very similar to SSRIs, except that they also affect norepinephrine (another chemical in the brain). SNRIs used to treat depression include:

In general, SNRIs tend to be more stimulating than SSRIs. This means that they have more of a tendency to cause insomnia, jitteriness, or other similar side effects. There is one SNRI, milnacipran (Savella^™) that is not approved for treating depression, although it may be used "off-label" for this purpose.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are a class of older medications used for treating depression. There are many serious food and drug interactions with MAOIs. Because of this, MAOIs are usually used only if other medications for depression have not been effective. Examples of MAOI types of depression medication include:

Tricyclic Antidepressants

Tricyclic antidepressants are another older class of antidepressants. Due to certain side effects, they are generally not recommended for elderly people. Tricyclic types of depression medicine include:

(Types of Antidepressants Continued: Page 3)
Pages:	Previous 1 2 3 Next